The Flipping 50 Show Debra Atkinson

Low libido, sex dysfunction, stress, insomnia, body confidence… we unpack a lot in this episode. Two guests today both specializing in women’s health with specific attention to libido and pelvic floor health show up for this podcast and bring it. 
Sex dysfunction is no laughing matter for couples who used to enjoy each other and now are finding it’s not the same. Intimacy is a powerful part of health and also anti-aging as you’ll hear my experts talk about. 
Stay til the end if you want a very juicy Q and A. 
My Guests:
Dr. Diane Mueller is the founder of My Libido Doc, an online community dedicated to helping women reclaim their desire. My Libido Doc provides education, community and health care services for women.
Dr. Betsy A.B. Greenleaf, DO, FACOOG (Distinguished), FACOG, FPMRS, FAAOPM, MBA. Premier women’s health expert bringing pelvic peace, hormone harmony, sexy sizzle and crazy confidence to busy women. Dr. Betsy is a best-selling author, award winning speaker, entrepreneur, inventor, and business leader specializing in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery for over 20 years.
Questions We Answer in This Episode: 
What are the root causes of low libido?
How is libido related to confidence?
Why can menopause can be the best sex of your life?
How is libido tied to aging? Is there any direct correlation? 
Anal sex….safe? Oral sex… safe? Condoms still the best protection? We’re going to still need them in the nursing home? 

Connect with Dr. Diane Mueller and Dr.Betsy Greenleaf : 
https://www.flippingfifty.com/mylibido
On Social:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mylibidodoc
Youtube: youtube.com/@mylibidodoc
Podcast: mylibidodoc.com/podcasts

Other Episodes You Might Like: 
Sex and Sports for Women Over 40
https://www.flippingfifty.com/sex-and-sports/
How to Make (Sex and) Exercise More Effective: Pelvic Floor
https://www.flippingfifty.com/pelvic-floor-tips/
You Ask Libido and Hormone Balance Qs: Dr John Gray Answers
https://www.flippingfifty.com/libido-and-hormone-balance/
Resources:
Free Ebook: 5 steps to revive your love life: https://mylibidodoc.com/revive-your-love-life/

If you’ve looked in the mirror lately and you see something that makes you wonder about surgery or botox and that is just not you, but you’d love a natural facelift with no negative side effects, this is for you.
First though, I’m a low maintenance girl. I am also a skeptic. Look, I get access to some truly amazing products and I’ve shared my favorites with you. Today, though I share something that this 59- almost 60yr old face is loving. 
I started using this 5-6 weeks ago and have seen (and felt amazing results). I know that we are ALL looking for better products and healthier aging and there is no substitute for the real thing. 
My wish is just a clean makeup-free face that I feel good about. I do wear makeup at times but I don’t want to have to wear makeup to cover up my face. 
I think you’ll like this! 
My Guest:
Cathy Goldstein, an Acupuncture Physician, founded Multiple Integrative Health Clinics. She has been a columnist for New Vision Magazine and Philadelphia Magazine. Guest lecturer at Jefferson University Medical School. She is a frequent speaker for symposiums and health summits.
Cathy is considered a subject matter expert in BioMedicine through Eastern Medicine. She has been an educational instructor nationally and internationally.
Cathy has been practicing and teaching alternative medicine for more than 34 years (since 1988). She specializes in Quantum Energy Medicine technology and Body-Mind-Neuro-Psychology. She has trained with world-renowned practitioners and healers and holds advanced anatomy, physiology, and skin science studies.
Cathy’s pursuit of functional health stems from her health challenges and frustrations with Western Medicine. She was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in her 20’s. After multiple hospitalizations and complications, she was still suffering from illness. Cathy began her life path for healing.
“I am truly grateful for my experience. I refused to have an illness define me. Through determination, relentless studies, and trial and error, I have been fortunate to enjoy a healthy life with no signs of Crohn’s disease for over 30 years. My commitment is to help and educate patients and colleagues on alternative healthcare and root functional health.”
This natural facelift is going to sound too good to be true, but it is everything you want it to be! 
Questions We Answer in This Episode: 
What is so different about this product? 
Tell us about energy medicine and the liquid nervous system
I’m enamored with Power Plate, fell in love with Whole Tones years ago, so explain to listeners how these are related and How can vibrational energy restore the fountain of youth
How is Tru Energy different?
I know my own feelings about this… and they’ve surprised even the skeptic in me (and it isn’t that I don’t want it to work but honestly… that it was this simple.. I love) tell me about other results of raving fans. 
How soon do people see results with this 7-minute natural facelift? Do they continue to improve over more time?
Connect with Cathy:
Try It Yourself! I love this 5-part System! https://www.flippingfifty.com/truenergy
Don't just take my word for it, though. Check out this video demo and see for yourself how amazing this product is:
On Social:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truenergyskincare/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truenergyskincare/
Resources:
7 Minute Natural Facelift: https://www.flippingfifty.com/truenergy
Power Plate: https://www.flippingfifty.com/powerplate
Whole Tones: https://www.flippingfifty.com/wholetones
Other Episodes You Might Like:
Your Hormones and Skin in Midlife | Interview with TheSpaDr
https://www.flippingfifty.com/hormones-and-skin/
Skincare Tips from the Skin Whisperer
https://www.flippingfifty.com/skincare-tips/
How to Redefine Aging | Mindset Shifts with Natalie Jill
https://www.flippingfifty.com/redefine-aging/
 

Many women want to lose weight. To lose weight for active women over 40, they also don’t want performance to deteriorate. There are a few things to consider. First, it’s not the eat less, exercise more dogma that will get you what you really want. 
Most women want energy, tone and definition, and strength for now and later. Better blood sugar control that supports reductions in belly fat and overall insulin sensitivity. 
Am I right?
But eating less and exercising more - if successful at all during menopause and post - will generally cause the opposite. Less energy, worse mood, poor sleep, less muscle tone, and spirals down from there with long term ramifications to health. 
Being active, whether sports performance level or just athletic active, requires energy. There is still a way to juggle goals of maintaining or improving performance while still dropping a few pounds of extra cushioning. 
Eating to Lose Weight Active Over 40
Close to the beginning and/or after completion of exercise, peri- and postmenopausal athletes should aim for a bolus of high EAA-containing (~10 g) intact protein sources or supplements to overcome anabolic resistance.
Anabolic resistance is the status of muscle loss being more likely than muscle gain and it requires more intense exercise stimulus (strength training), quality protein stimulus, and recovery to overcome it. 
An ACSM review of literature stated 20 g protein pre-exercise (and 40 after) for older adults to boost Muscle Protein Synthesis similar to that of a 20 yr old when workout conditions were comparable. 
Time pre-exercise fuel for optimal digestion. Within 30 minutes of a workout the easier to digest fuel must be. It’s not only a comfort factor, but also the diverted energy for digestion competing with the need for blood flow to deliver oxygen to working muscles. Both digestion and performance will suffer. A “simple shake” with protein powder and unsweetened almond milk or water may be the easy way to go. 
If you want carbs, add a half a banana to the shake or have half cup oatmeal with protein powder.
Pre-workout, avoid fiber and fat. A mixed meal eaten pre-workout should allow at least 2 ½ - 3 hours to be fully digested. Some will feel most comfortable if this is longer than that (4 hours) if it’s following recommendations for high fiber, high protein and high fat. 
Given recommendations range from at least 10 to 20 grams of protein pre-workout, below are some examples of protein sources. The more challenged you are with gaining lean muscle (and or are attempting to lose weight while retaining muscle) the higher end of the range you want to be.
Lose Weight for Active Women: Women’s Guide to Exercise Nutrition
High EAA examples of 10 g protein: 
Small half a simple shake including protein powder and unsweetened almond milk 
Dairy (which does by the way include whey protein) generally pre-exercise wouldn’t be recommended due to its influence in mucus production, even if you tolerate which a lot of women don’t later in life (but Greek yogurt or cottage cheese are sources of protein- again I don’t recommend pre-exercise).
·      2 eggs equal 12 grams of protein (if you tolerate eggs) 
·      ½ cup steel cut oats with protein stirred in
·      Quinoa 
Choices vary as to whether you want carbohydrate prior or not to avoid early fatigue during exercise sessions.
Overcoming Anabolic Resistance: 
A study in the European Journal of Sports Science found higher protein intakes (2-3 times the protein Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of 0.8 g/kg/d) during periods of energy restriction can enhance fat-free mass (FFM) preservation, particularly when combined with exercise.
Athletes [and let’s include, the very active] aiming to reduce fat mass and preserve FFM should consume protein intakes in the range of ∼1.8-2.7 g kg(-1) d(-1) (or ∼2.3-3.1 g kg(-1) FFM) in combination with a moderate energy deficit (-500 kcal) and the

Fair warning: this 5 books I loved in 2023 episode will read a little like a book review. It’s a great gift guide but perhaps the biggest take-away for us all is in the review of titles. I won’t make you wait. I’m going to share them all in the beginning. The titles are like trends on skinny jeans or cropped tops and high-waisted tights. I didn’t love either of those. With these I’m less judgmental but certainly curious.
This says a lot about what sells today. Because of course, don’t judge a book by it’s cover… but we do. The image, the title, the subtitle all matter a great deal. An agent, a publisher and editors all rely on data about sales to determine what will sell. 
So these 5 titles….
5 Books I Loved in 2023 (or coming soon!) 
Younger for Life -Dr Anthony Youn
The subtitle of this book is Feel Great and Look Your Best with the Science of Autorejuvenation. You’ll hear more on the book from the author himself in an episode titled Younger for Life with America’s Holistic Plastic Surgeon. But truly if you’re on TikTok, this is also a TikTok, YouTube and Instagram favorite plastic surgeon. 
He's a funny, and clearly knowledgeable surgeon whose mission is to turn on the power of your own body instead of turning to the knife. 
This one is coming out just after the New Year. We’ll link to it and share a special 21-day challenge we can only hint about now too! Pre-orders for that book will come soon so watch for it!
Forever Strong -Dr Gabrielle Lyon 
We will of course link to previous episodes with Dr Gabrielle. She worked with Dr Donald Layman who, if you are into the science of protein for longevity and preserving muscle with weight loss, appears as an author of many of the studies since the late 90s. 
Dr Lyon has made the information more mainstream and positively opened the subject of obesity again in a new way. It's not a fat problem, it’s a muscle problem. 
Forever Strong came out earlier this fall and it’s one for everyone in your family. The science can only fill so much of a book. The rest of the content is recipes supporting one means of staying strong, eating protein. You’ll find descriptions of exercise protocols as well as the long list of references used throughout the book. 

Young Forever -Mark Hyman
Do you see a theme here yet? And we’re not done! 
This book explores the biological hallmarks of aging, their causes, and their consequences—then shows us how to overcome them with simple dietary, lifestyle, and emerging longevity strategies. You’ll learn: 
How to turn on your body’s key longevity switches 
How to reduce inflammation and support the health of your immune system 
How to exercise, sleep, and de-stress for healthy aging 
How to eat your way to a long life, featuring Dr. Hyman’s Pegan Diet 
Which supplements are right for you 
Where the research on aging is headed
Mark Hyman is 63. 
Spoiler Alert: 5 Books I Loved in 2023 Reveal What We Want
Younger You -Dr Kara Fitzgerald 
If you’re new to the power of your epigenetics, that is your daily habits, to either accelerate or decelerate, in fact reverse age, then this is for you. 
We all have cancer cells within us. We don’t all get cancer. 
Some of us have genetics that predispose us to obesity. I do. But I’m not obese. Why ? Is it exercise? Nutrition? What specifically about your DNA and your habits could change things for you? 
Dr. Fitzgerald shares the diet and lifestyle plan that shows you how to influence your epigenetics for a younger you. In Younger You you’ll learn:  
It’s not your genetics that determines your age and level of health, it’s your epigenetics 
How DNA methylation powerfully influences your epigenetic expression 
The foods and lifestyle choices that most affect DNA methylation 
Simple swaps to your daily routines that will add years to your life 
The full eating and lifestyle program, with recipes an

Before I go further you should know, I’ve despised the word “hacking” for a long time. For me it seemed like code for shortcut, cheat, and quick fix. And a decade ago I think that was true. But I know better and the biohacking we’re talking about here is very different. It’s not cheating the system but rather getting a bonus. If you lift weights and can’t lift heavy, the use of a whole body vibration tool may give you a bonus benefit of bone density you can’t get otherwise. If you can lift heavy, I for one am using it for the icing on the cake it can be. 
Biohacking is a term used to describe various tips and tricks for enhancing the body’s ability to function at peak performance—and maybe even extend one’s lifespan. But it’s not just aging, it’s health. How to trick your body into, or back into its natural state of optimal health. You were born with it. 
 
It’s science-based and it’s individual. 
Though if you read this line from Peter Attia’s book, you might think bio-hacking is psuedoscience at best: 
This is not “biohacking,” it’s science: a well-founded strategic and tactical approach to extending lifespan while also improving our physical, cognitive, and emotional health.
Dave Asprey’s description in an article in Men’s Health: 
“...the use of science, biology, and self-experimentation to take control of and upgrade your body, your mind and your life…”
What Qualifies as Biohacking [You Might Already be Doing]
While certain modalities of biohacking may seem extreme, forms like meditation and intermittent fasting are fairly commonplace and time tested, with extensive research supporting their use. What’s new, however, is the movement behind this overall quest for better biological function no matter how old (or young you are). 
Not an all-inclusive list but things like: 
Lumen
CGM monitors 
Infrared Saunas
Ice Baths 
…are making their way into more homes for regular use. Are these methods of bio-hacking or simply application of new science allowing us to see what used to be invisible? I think we have to concede that in most if not many cases biohacking is science… and much like menopause fitness, there’s only so much of it out there. We’re forced to combine exercise physiology + menopause physiology where there are gaps and clear results a woman doesn’t feel good or muscle and bone losses are occurring in spite of following guidelines and position statements, for upgraded exercise prescriptions 
[exactly why Flipping50 was born 10 years ago and exists today]. 
Many, maybe you listener, doubt the accuracy of trackers. Isn’t it interesting? When we don’t stop using them despite learning that seed oils and processed foods contribute to poor health but continue to buy and eat them, not only not questioning the science, but ignoring it… 
We humans are complicated at best. 
We question if we should use PowerPlate or if a Smart Scale tells us the correct body composition, failing to see that benefits still outweigh accuracy. 
Asking, What is BioHacking Only Skims the Surface! 
There is biohacking of different types. 
Lifestyle - nutrition, exercise, meditation 
Biology Shifts - Supplements
Biologics - non-medical IV therapies and medical Stem Cell injections
Technology - CGMs, wearable tracking devices for HRV
What is Age-Related Biohacking?
Age-related biohacking examples include:
Red light therapy
Stem cell therapy
Cryotherapy
The consumption of anti-aging and mitochondrial support supplements like those containing coenzyme Q10, polyphenols, L-carnitine and Urolithin A 
What is Sleep Biohacking?
Sleep trackers 
Blue light blocking
Magnesium 
Melatonin
Meditation 
For support with sleep, grab my Sleep Yourself Skinny eguide. 
What is Nutrition Biohacking?
Intermittent fasting
Pre and Probiotics 
Understanding and avoiding inflammatory foods 
If yo

If you’ve experienced this… I want you to to know the #1 reason you’re not getting results from my 40 years experience, and most of all from the most recent comments, DMs and group conversations we have.
Said 100% with respect to us all… but we have failed to commit to any one. While we’re complaining about the abundance of overwhelming and often conflicting information, we fail to realize it’s us who continues to let it in. 
Not saying that we should stop trying to learn or gain knowledge. You know I share summits with you from time to time. I share experts with you right here regularly who challenge your thinking. And I hosted a summit myself - one of the primary goals of that was to clarify for you the information and to probe guests for clarity wherever I sensed there could be confusion for you. 
But if we keep letting ourselves stay stuck collecting data, we’re procrastinating on changing anything. 
You ARE choosing. You’re choosing to stay stuck. You won’t “accidentally” find your best path to health. You’ll need to get a bit organized and choose what to take action on now, what you might take action on later, and what you’re just throwing out because you’ve tried it, tested it and you know it doesn’t work for you.
This episode is to help you get out of your own way. 
You’re Not Getting Fitness Results? Keep Reading
The only way I can do this episode is because I live it too. We can in any area of our lives sit in the middle of the room staring at the piles of things to be organized and picked up, put away, given away … and not know where to start and so never do. That, I believe may be hoarding. 
In 2013 I quit. I quit my job on January 16. I was going to start paying college tuition in August. I had to put my house for sale in November. In tears in early December instead of putting up Christmas decorations I was taking down every picture carefully placed and planned from my walls because the realtor said a new buyer needs to be able to imagine their things on the wall. 
For the entire first year of that new start I didn’t have a clear step-by-step. Very few had done this before, few if any had created an online fitness site exclusively for women in menopause without any technical background or knowledge in hiring someone I could trust who had one. 
It wasn’t until year two, when I got a vision of what steps mattered most, what could wait and be tested later, that I started to be able to pay my own bills again instead of borrowing off of the sale of my home. 
If you aren’t at a “it has to work” place, you may not commit. I was all in. There was no net. If you’ve had cancer, if you’ve had a virus so scary it made you wonder… then you know. You commit. You do everything and focus on just the important things and other things fall off the radar. 
You may need to do this for yourself. Take this podcast as your wake-up call. Trust me… you don’t want to be pawning jewelry, or selling homes, asking relatives for a loan… or having to choose chemo or not… but we often do wait for a diagnosis. Decide right now if you will or you won’t. 
If you think it’s inconvenient to eat differently than others in your house, if you think it’s just too hard not to have a drink or 3 every night, and you’re committed to that way of thinking, this may not be your episode. I may not be your girl. 
A stale, overused and very appropriate on-point term: choose your hard. 
The Number #1 Reason You’re Not Getting Fitness Results… 
You are not committing to one thing consistently for long enough to test it and only it.
It’s not all your fault. You hear high protein is necessary to build muscle for successful active aging. 
You learn that the quality of essential amino acids in animal protein is higher per calorie than that of plant protein. 
You hear that fasting is good for longevity due to autophagy. 
Yet, you’ve heard the term low energy a